Pick



Apfil 13, 1948. P E E 2,439,759

PICK

' Filed June 10, 1947 Patented Apr. 13, 1948 PICK Eugene St. Pierre,Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., acorporation of Massachusetts Application June 10, 1947, Serial No.753,649

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in knittingmachines of the circular, independent needle type and has particularreference to narrowing and widening picks.

Difi'iculty has been encountered in the use of narrowing and wideningpicks in that under certain circumstances picks will act upon needlebutts not intended to be so acted upon and in some cases a pick may acton a different number of needle butts than is intended.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved pick for useparticularly in the widening operation.

Another object is to provide an improved pick structure for use ineither widening or narrowing.

By the use of this invention, widening and narrowing picks are made toact only upon the intended needle butts only and the possibility of apick acting upon different butts is eliminated. Also the same pick maybe utilized for picking one, two or more needles.

While specific reference is made herein to the use of the pick of thisinvention for engaging needle butts and so picking needles, it is to beunderstood that all such reference shall include picking needles byindirection as, for example, by picking needle jacks.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a widening pick constructed in accordance withthis invention, with a fragmentary view of a needle cylinder andportions of needles and needle butts;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the needle butt contacting end of the pickof Fig. 1; showing how long butt needles are excluded from the pick;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1 in part, showing a short buttneedle in contact with the pick;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a variation of the pick structure applicableto either a widening 0r narrowing pick; and

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a further variation in the pick structureshowing how both long and short butts may be controlled.

The invention has reference to narrowing and widening picks of the typeand mode of operation characteristic of circular hosiery knittingmachines oi. the Banner type in which needle and toe widening is usuallyaccomplished by picking up one short butt needle and picking down twoshort butt needles for a gain of one stitch per course, the two needlesbeing picked down simultaneously by one pick.

Normally the full complement of short butt needies, 1. a, one half thetotal number of needles is 2 utilized in the knitting of the heel andtoe. Also normally the narrowing is so arranged that the total of theneedles picked up by the narrowing Dicks is an even number so that whenwidening is accomplished by additionally picking down two needles at atime all of the short butt needles will have been brought back intooperation. However, occasionally a narrowing pick may fail to pick upits needle so that an odd, instead of an even, number of short buttsneedles remain to be picked down. In such case, the widening pick willfinally attempt to pick down not only the last short butt needle butalso the first long butt needle. Since the pick cannot operate properlyupon a long butt, this action may cause the long butt needle to bepulled out of its slot and the machine to be damaged. The pick of thisinvention prevents this by excluding long butt needles.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the pick I of this invention is shown inoperating position against a needle cylinder 2 having short butt needlestherein with their butts 3 engaging the pick.

Since the simple Way to make the pick I is to form a butt receivingrecess 4 all the wa across the head 5, the pick is capable of receivinga long butt 6. To avoid this, and to cause the pick to exclude such along butt, a screw 1 which may be called an abutment, is threaded intothe recess 4 of the pick head 5 so that the end of the screw issubstantially flush with the edge 8 of the recess 4. This screw I islocated at such a distance inward along the recess 4 as to be missed bythe short butts and engaged by a long butt.

Thus the pick will act on short butt needles but any long butt needleswhich engage it will be cammed over it. The screw 1 may be adjusted forinitial setting or compensation for wear, and a set screw 9 is providedto hold it in adjusted position.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the pick head 5 is shownin an arrangement providing adjustment in the effective depth of theshort butt receiving part of recess 4. An adjustable screw ID isprovided in such position in the recess near its outer end as to beengaged by short butts. Since the screw is adjustable, the recess maythus be made deep enough to receive two short butts without receiving athird, or it may be made shallow enough to receive only one short butt.Therefore, the pick may be used either as a narrowing pick or as awidening pick for avarying number of butts. A set screw II is providedto hold the screw I!) in adjusted position.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the two formsdescribed above are combined, the exclusion of long butts being assuredby screw 12 corresponding to screw I in Fig. 1 and the determination ofthe number of short butts to be acted upon being controlled by screw 13which corresponds to screw [0 in Figs. 4-6.

The screws l, H], I2 and I3 may be formed with special heads for moreeffective contact with the needle butts, if desired, or'pins maybe usedin their stead.

I claim:

1. For a circular, independent needle knitting machine, a pick forwidening and narrowing, said pick having a recess therein for receivingneedle butts, an abutment in said recess .for excluding long butts, anadjustable abutment in said recess for limiting the number of shortbutts which may be received in said recess at one time.

2. For a circular, independent needle'knitting machine, a pick forwidening and narrowing, said pick having a recess therein for receivingneedle butts, an adjustable abutment in said recess for excluding longbutts, and another adjustable abutment in said :recess'for limiting thenumber of short but-ts which may be received in said recess-at one time.

3. Fora circular, independent needle knitting .4 machine, a pick forwidening and narrowing, said pick having a recess therein for receivingneedle butts, and an abutment in said recess for limiting the number ofbutts which may be received in said recess at one time. 7

4. A pick for widening and narrowing in A circular, independent needleknitting machine, said pick having'a recess for 'receivingshort butts\and an adjustable abutment for excluding long butts.

5. A pick for widening and narrowing in a circular, independent needleknitting machine, said pick having a recess for receiving needle buttsand an adjustable abutment in said recess for varying the .number ofbutts which may be recerved in saidrecess at one time.

EUGENE ST. PIERRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,158,351 Wilcomb "Oct. :26, 19151,641,589 Jones Sept. -6, 1927

